As I mentioned in a previous post, I am committed to finding a new job soon. It’s one of my many goals which I spelled out in that post because depending on how you see it, I am either an early retiree, a gentleman, or simply just unemployed. So apparently I have been “a gentleman” for about 8 months now, so this need to be gainfully employed is something that I need to get sorted out quite soon otherwise I may find the bank taking a less kindly view of my work situation and sending me a polite letter telling me that it’s more than simply work that I’ll be looking for. So the pressure is on to find that job as soon as I can.

Over the past several months, I’ve focussed on applying for roles in the industry I had previously been working in, and I’ve found it surprisingly hard to get back into, even though I’m highly skilled and have some really great experience. However, given it’s taken me so long to find anything, I’ve started to wonder why. What’s the big deal here and why is it so hard to find another job. This has been the longest I’ve ever been out of work and it’s been bothering me. Is it simply because the employment market is really flat here and there are fewer opportunities available, or is there something else at play? Have I found myself unable to work because fate is taking a hand and holding back my efforts until I choose the “correct” path forward, or have I somehow subconsciously been sabotaging my own efforts because my goals are taking my head and heart away from the career I’ve enjoyed these past 22 years and steering me towards a rewarding and fulfilling future in fitness and sports? Given this evening’s efforts, I’m starting to wonder if the reason is the latter.

I’ve known about this fitness careers website for a while now, but I never really bothered to look too deeply at it, thinking that I’d be worrying about that towards the end of my studies this year. This evening however, I just had this overwhelming urge to look at the website again and to create the login needed to be able to view the job descriptions. I suddenly got it into my head that I should try to find some sort of work within the industry, even if it’s just sitting at a fitness club reception for a few months. Sure enough, there were lot’s of positions advertised for personal trainers, but then I saw a couple of part time and casual positions working as a daytime coach for little kids.

Well, it turns out I’ve done some soccer coaching in the past (about 4 years of it) and I thought, “Why the hell not?!”. If I get the job, I’ll at least be working in the industry while I study, even if only at the edge of the activities I’m studying towards, rather than trying to find work elsewhere that won’t be as satisfying to me, and I’d have the opportunity to both do something that I love doing, and get some experience to put on the resume as well.

So I managed to send off two job applications, and I am suddenly really hopeful that something will come of at least one of them. Out of the 15 or so job applications I’ve sent off in the past three weeks, these are the only ones that I am actually keen to have interviews for. So wish me luck, and if there really is karma and if it’s kind to me, I hope to be able to share the good news some day that I am actually working in my future intended career!

That’s the thing about changing the way you see yourself – something else that I wrote about recently. Sometimes you really need to look far outside the things you are most familiar with, to open your mind up to other possibilities that you may never have otherwise considered. And it doesn’t even matter if I’m not successful this time, because now I’ve allowed myself the possibility that I can reach my future goals through another path that just might turn out to be better than any of the other paths I might have otherwise taken.

Getting back into the workout habit

I finally got off my derrière and had a good workout yesterday. I got myself nice and sweaty for 30 minutes and managed to work around the sore back that I’ve been slowly trying to improve. I’ve incorporated a couple of Psoas stretches into my daily routine to help me to get over the back pain, and I’m taking my own advice again by doing the hula hooping to manage incidents of pain and poor hip mobility. It’s definitely been helping, and as with any injury, it will take time to recover but the signs of improvement are there in small ways daily.

I’ve also been working my core quite heavily, both practising the vacuum exercise and the bicycle crunches that I mentioned in my recent “belly bulge” post. This is something that is also helping me to manage my back injury, and yet the other changes in the way I stand and how my belly and waist look are more than I had suspected would occur in only a short time. I’ll be working out every two days, refining the routine which I’ll post to a new page sometime soon. The thing that I really need to remember is that I need to be sure to stretch properly after my workouts. I’ve been a bit lax in that department, and my recovery days aren’t as comfortable as they probably would be otherwise given the tight tendons and muscle soreness. I hear that Ice Baths can help, but I’m not sure I would want to use them, given it takes me about 20 minutes to get into the water at the beach!! Yeah… I’m not fond of the cold!

More updates to this blog/site

I’ve been rearranging a couple of things in the menus of this blog, and I’ve added a few more pages. There is definitely more to come as time and training permits. If you have any suggestions for information you are really keen to see, or if you would like to guest post (or have me post as a guest), feel free to contact me using the form on the contact page.

T-Day

T-Day is for Test Day!!. It’s almost the end of the month, and I’ll be retaking all of my fitness tests and measurements to see what the progress has been in this first month. I’ll post up all of the results, and some new photos as soon as I’ve done the testing. I’ve also got plans to visit my doctor to get some blood work done before I step boldly off the wagon for my birthday, when I plan to have Pizza, and a Beer, and to not feel guilty about it. This is not a “cheat day”, and certainly a once off event and not something I’m going to do again if I can help it. I do deserve this to celebrate not just surviving another year, but also the achievement of adapting to nearly 100% Paleo for an entire month, and having lost some excess fat and built up my fitness in that time. Of course if my tests turn out to have really crap results, I’ll be staying on the diet and working harder for the next 30 days! LOL

I hope your own self-improvement journey is also well on its way and that you’re feeling as great and as motivated as I have been.

"Semi-retired" former software developer with delusions of personal training grandeur, and the wherewithal to see these dreams become a reality. Now blogging my personal development journey towards better health & fitness, as well as about other fitness and self improvement topics that I take an interest in.